


Where The Sky Touches The Sea

by ApproachingEden



Series: Where The Sky Touches The Sea [1]
Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, First Meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 04:20:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5991490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApproachingEden/pseuds/ApproachingEden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every summer Yata's family visits this seaside town where he spends most of his days at the beach. On the year he turns twelve, he swims farther out than usual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 12yo // 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Nicky who continues to support this AU despite my terrible track record. I'm not sorry for dragging you into this fandom.

The sand is warm under Yata's feet but the water is cool and the salty breeze from the sea greets him like a friend. He shields his eyes from the glare of the sun as he looks out into the horizon where the bright cloudless sky and the clear blue waters meet.

Today, Yata plans to swim out farther than usual.

Every summer since his mother remarried, Yata's family has been visiting his stepfather's seaside hometown for vacation. Yata likes it here because his mother would always cook delicious meals from the day's fresh catch and he could spend all his time lazing around on the beach, at least until summer break comes to an end and he realizes that he hasn't done any of his homework.

Yata is twelve years old this year. His mother always warned him not to swim too far out, but he thinks he's old enough now. He's been practicing every summer, swimming farther out each time. His goal is to reach a tiny island not too far from the shore where he has seen some older kids swim to on previous summers.

"My friends and I used to play there when we were kids," Yata's stepfather fondly recalls. "There's this shallow cave of sorts where we'd hide when it got too hot out. But there's really not much there besides wet rocks."

Yata makes a face when his stepfather laughs and playfully ruffles his hair. Perhaps the island isn't anything special to adults, but to Yata who only just turned twelve, it seems like a magical place full of adventures. Naturally, he made it his mission to swim to it one of these days.

"Are you sure about this, Yata-san?" Kamamoto asks nervously. He's one of the local kids around Yata's age and they play together every time Yata visits in the summer.

"Of course I am!" Yata replies, puffing out his chest. "Today is the day!"

The other kids are at home doing their summer homework, but that's alright. He can survey the island first and he'll just bring them along next time.

"Okay, I'm going! You stand watch here."

Though Yata doesn't turn back to Kamamoto, he's sure that his friend has a pitiful look on his face right now. Kamamoto might be bigger (Yata has always been small for his age) but he lacks the kind of recklessness that lets Yata act on his crazy ideas. Yata doesn't mind that. He's more than happy to take the lead.

Yata walks into the water until he's waist deep and then he starts swimming towards the island. He made sure to do some warm-ups and stretching beforehand even though he doesn't really know what those do. It's probably to avoid pulling something or getting cramps, right? His P.E. teacher always made them warm up before activities. Whatever it is, Yata thinks it's helped him swim farther each time so he always does it and today is not an exception.

The sea is very calm today, its waves gentle and manageable for a small twelve-year old. Yata mentally gives himself a pat on the back for picking such a perfect day to swim to the island. His excitement piles up as he gets closer to his destination, and even if he hasn't quite gotten there yet, he's already looking forward to taking all of his friends next time.

He thinks he's only a few feet away from the island when a wave bigger than the others he encountered today unexpectedly hits him in the face. It takes Yata by surprise and makes him lose his rhythm, and he starts flailing as he tries not to panic. He hears a faint, faraway voice yelling something he can't understand— perhaps Kamamoto's, though he can't be sure— so he attempts to reorient himself based on the direction he thinks it's coming from. However, another heavy force hits him, this time on the chest, and Yata is almost sure it wasn't just a particularly big wave.

The next thing Yata knows is that he's underwater. While he cannot tell how far under he is or if he's anywhere close to the island yet, there are two things he is completely sure of: someone is dragging him by his shoulders and there is something big, powerful and sparkling swimming right next to him.

" _I'm not gonna drown here!_ " Yata thinks to himself, so he starts fighting to get his head above water. But he suddenly finds his legs hitting sand, shells, and rocks, and when he opens his eyes, he's already standing neck deep in the water a few feet away from the island.

A loud splash stops Yata from gawking at the island and he turns around just in time to catch someone swimming away.

"Wait!" Yata calls after the person. Or at least he thought it was a person, until he remembered the big sparkling thing from earlier.

They stop, seemingly hesitant. Only half of their head is above water right now so Yata can see only what looks like dark hair. When they turn around, Yata is taken aback by the person's eyes— bright and piercing and blue like the bluest of skies, as if they were mirrors that reflected all of which that joined at the horizon. It's like an electric shock down his spine.

"What's your name?" Yata asks tentatively.

The blue-eyed stranger's head rises above the water fully, revealing a very pale, handsome face. They look quite young, though perhaps a little older than Yata. If they weren't scowling so darkly, they probably wouldn't look too out of place among the pretty boy idols who star in the superhero shows that Yata watches religiously every Sunday morning.

"Watch where you're swimming next time," they mumble in a way that reminds Yata of a sulking kid.

"Eh?"

"I said, don't just carelessly swim around like that," they say a little clearer and louder this time. They speak the dialect spoken in this town, but they didn't seem at all comfortable with the words coming out of their mouth.

Yata blinks. "Oh. Okay. I'm Yata. What's your name?"

"I don't care what your name is."

"Yeah, well, I'm just saying. So what's your name?"

While Yata is jumping on his toes to keep from swallowing seawater, the blue-eyed stranger didn't seem to have the same struggle with the gentle ebbing and flowing of the waves even though their head was also only barely above the water.

"What makes you think I'll give you my name?"

"I already gave you mine so I'm not a stranger anymore," says Yata.

The scowl on their face softens only a tiny bit and they sigh in exasperation. "Listen. Don't just carelessly give your name away to people you don't know. Names are very powerful, you know. Or are you an idiot?"

"I don't get it," Yata says with a frown.

They click their tongue. "... You really are an idiot."

"Then you just have to say it in a way even an idiot will understand, right?"

"Are you always this careless?" the stranger says. Their scowl has melted into a confused frown and Yata thinks it's not fair because _he_ is the one who's confused around here. "Next time, don't just tell random strangers your name. It can be used against you."

"Is that why you don't wanna tell me your name?"

They click their tongue again. Yata takes this as a yes.

"Okay, I understand now," says Yata. "Your name is embarrassing, huh? I promise I won't tease you. My name's embarrassing too. I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. I think that's only fair."

"That's not it… but whatever…" The stranger looks at him suspiciously. "You said your name is Yata."

"That's my family name! My given name is different. But you have to promise not to call me that! Just call me Yata!"

They look away and mumble, "... Saruhiko."

"Eh? Saruhiko?" Yata repeats, beaming at the blue-eyed stranger as if to counter the frown on their face. He thinks he can see a slight reddening on their cheeks. "That's not an embarrassing name at all! Anyway, nice to meet ya! I'm Misaki. But call me Yata, okay?"

"What's so embarrassing about 'Misaki'?"

It's Yata's turn to scowl. "Hah??!! What d'you mean, what's embarrassing about it?!"

"You know what, nevermind. I don't care."

With a slow shaking of their head, Saruhiko turns and dives back into the water. There's a big splash as they swim away, and Yata gets a glimpse of what looked like a large fish tail. Yata quickly ducks underwater to try to see more of it, but Saruhiko swims very fast and they seemed to have kicked up some of the sand behind them, obscuring Yata's view.

 _What's up with that guy?_ Yata furrows his eyebrows. He resurfaces, and after making sure that there's no sign of Saruhiko anymore, he finally turns back to the island and starts to swim towards it.

He finds that he ended up quite a ways away from the side of the island he was aiming for, and he had a bit of walking to do before the shore on which Kamamoto stood became visible. He waved at his friend, hoping that Kamamoto didn't panic too much while he was out of sight.

Yata didn't stay too long on the island. He thought it best not to wait for it to get too dark and it's probably more fun to explore the place with all of his friends anyway. He tried to be more careful on his way back, although he'd be lying if he said he wasn't hoping to bump into Saruhiko again.

"Yata-san! You really worried me there!" Kamamoto runs up to him as he got out of the water and hands him a towel. Yata always thought he's surprisingly fast even though he looks a bit like a bouncing ball. "What happened?"

"Just got hit by a wave, is all," says Yata. He flashes a grin to ease his friend's worries.

Kamamoto frowns. "Maybe we should just build a raft. I don't think me and the others can swim that far like you."

"That's probably a better idea. But where do we get the materials for it?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out! We still got lotsa time before summer ends."

"Okay, let's ask the others tomorrow." Yata pats random parts of his body with his towel in a half-hearted attempt to dry himself. He turns to the sea and looks out into the horizon. The sun is on its way to setting now so the sky is beginning to dye the waters a different color. "Hey, you know all the kids in this town, right?"

"Yeah, it's a small town so everyone knows everyone."

"Do you know anyone called Saruhiko?"

"Huh? No, don't think I've heard that name before..." Kamamoto's face scrunches up in deep thought. "Why? Who is it?"

Yata shakes his head without taking his eyes off the waters. He remembers how Saruhiko spoke as if it's been years since words last came out of their mouth. Maybe they aren't from around here. "Nah, just wondering. Don't worry about it."

"Okay… By the way, mom says you can come over for dinner."

"You go ahead. I'll go home to change first."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be there before you know it!" When Yata looks back at Kamamoto, he sees his friend giving him a curious look, so he grins and flashes him a peace sign. "It's okay. I know my way around town!"

"If you say so! Just ask anyone for directions if you get lost, okay?"

Yata laughs. "Come on, I've been coming here for years now and everything's exactly the same as it was. I won't get lost."

"Alright, alright." Kamamoto sighs and raises his hands in defeat. "Just wanna make sure. I'm going ahead!"

"See ya later!" Yata calls out to Kamamoto who has started walking away. He waits until his friend is out of sight before he turns his gaze back to the quiet sea.

Yata watches the retreating sun coat everything it touches in oranges and reds, the darkness of the evening slowly trailing right behind. Soon, the beach will be stripped of its daylight colors and the town will settle down for the evening. And yet all he can think of is a faraway horizon painted with a deep, beautiful blue— like Saruhiko's eyes under a bright, sunny sky.

Tomorrow, Yata plans to swim out again.


	2. 12yo // 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn't tell Saruhiko that his eyes match the morning sky, but that's definitely something he's looking forward to seeing again.

It's been a week now.

Yata is sitting alone on the shore, watching as the sun sinks back down to make way for the sky's evening entourage. It was time to go home a little while ago, but he insisted on staying back a bit longer and urged his friends to go on without him. Yata usually hated being left behind so Chitose began to joke about him secretly meeting up with a girl and the others joined in too, at least until Yata's face turned so bright a red that they worried he would explode.

In truth, Yata had been hoping to see Saruhiko again. It's partly why he keeps swimming back to the small island everyday. Unfortunately, Saruhiko hasn't showed up since they met a full week ago. He asked his friends, his neighbours, and even his friends' neighbors if they knew anyone called Saruhiko, but none of them did, so it was clear that he wasn't from town. This strengthened Yata's suspicion that Saruhiko isn't entirely human. Or at least, Yata is more willing to believe it than the alternative explanation: that he just imagined the whole encounter. The memory is far too vivid for it to be just his imagination, he reasons to himself. Whenever he closes his eyes to recall it, he can still see the bright blue sky above them, and feel the heat of the sun on his skin, the gentle waves rocking him, the sand and the shells under his feet; he can even hear the annoyed tone in Saruhiko's voice. A memory as powerful as that can't possibly be made up, right?

(He doesn't want it to be.)

Yata is not sure why he thought Saruhiko would be here at this time, but he waits quietly anyway. Maybe Saruhiko hasn't turned up because Yata hasn't been alone these past few days. Yata figures he must be shy. He did seem embarrassed about his name for some reason. If he was ever at the small island in the past week, he probably decided not to make himself known to Yata because he was with his friends. Maybe he'll show up now that it's just Yata at the beach.

(He thinks of Saruhiko's eyes, blue like the horizon where the sky touches the sea.)

Yata stands up and slowly walks into the water, keeping his eyes on the small island. The piercing blue of the day has long gone, replaced by the oranges and pinks of the sunset and soon it'll be too dark to swim out. He will probably be late for dinner and his mother will definitely scold him for it.

He takes a deep breath and starts for the small island.

When Yata arrives at his destination, a cold sea breeze blows his way, making him shiver and wrap his arms around himself. From where he stands he can see the lights in town turn on one by one. He'll definitely have trouble swimming back in the dark later, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he has to be here right now.

"What are you doing here, Misaki?" a familiar voice drawls from out of nowhere so suddenly that Yata jumps and whips around too fast.

Not too far from him is Saruhiko sitting by a rock with half of his body underwater. He is laughing in a way that made Yata feel he is being made fun of and it pisses him off a little.

"You should've seen your face," says Saruhiko. It's already too dark to see the color of his eyes but Yata still feels the electricity in his gaze. "It's like you just saw Isonade."

"Hah?" Yata angrily stomps toward Saruhiko. "What are you talking about?!"

"Nevermind. Why are you here anyway? Kids like you shouldn't still be out at this time."

"None of your business! And you're a kid too, so you shouldn't be out here either!"

Saruhiko snorts. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"Well I can take care of myself too!"

"Sure you can. How do you expect to swim back now that it's this dark out?"

Yata stops, presses his lips together and glares at Saruhiko. Why did he want to see this guy again?

"I'm sure I'll figure it out!" he says as he crosses his arms on his chest. "Anyway, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I was hoping for some peace and quiet now that you and your friends are supposed to be home," says Saruhiko.

"So you've been here all this time?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why should I? We're not friends. And I don't want to be friends with your friends."

"... Hmm. Yeah. I figured that much."

Saruhiko seems to be surprised by Yata's answer because he falls silent and makes a serious face that's different from the playfulness of his expressions earlier. Yata starts to approach him again.

"Don't come closer," Saruhiko says.

"Why not?"

"Just don't!"

 _It's true, then_ , Yata thinks to himself. He always thought Saruhiko was special and this is as good as a confirmation, right?

"I promise I won't tell anyone," says Yata.

"Why should I trust you?" Saruhiko replies.

"Because you saved my life. I owe you that much, right?"

Saruhiko frowns but he doesn't protest when Yata walks over. Instead, he sinks lower into the water where the darkness of the evening cloaks the rest of him.

If it were still daytime and bright out, this wouldn't do much in hiding whatever it is that Saruhiko is worried Yata would see. Still, there's only so much that shallow waters can hide. When Yata looks over, he sees something that's definitely not a pair of legs.

Yata blinks, his eyes wide in awe. "... Is that a tail?"

Saruhiko clicks his tongue and flips his tail so quickly that Yata doesn't realize what's happening until a giant splash of water hits him in the face, completely soaking him from head to foot.

"HEY! What was that for?!" Yata yells, answering Saruhiko's frown with a glare.

"You're annoying," says Saruhiko.

"And _you're_ a jerk!! Here I thought your tail's really pretty. Too bad the rest of you is terrible."

"Pretty? Can you even see it like this?"

"Well, I could have if you didn't splash water into my eyes!" says Yata. "Anyway, it definitely sparkled last time so I know it's pretty!"

Saruhiko huffs. He shifts and Yata's knee-jerk response is to put his arms up to brace for another splash, but Saruhiko only moves to swim away.

"You should go home," Saruhiko mutters quietly, his words almost drowned by the sound of waves. "I'll guide you back to shore."

Yata beams. "You would?! You're awesome, Saruhiko!"

"It can't be helped. It's too dark now to let you swim back alone. I don't want your inevitable drowning on my conscience."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say!" Yata runs up to Saruhiko and joins him in the water.

Together they swim to the other side, Yata letting Saruhiko nudge and pull him around, completely trusting that the other would lead him back safely instead of somewhere very far off course. Somehow it feels like they were swimming forever, but they finally arrive just before Yata's arms completely give up in exhaustion. He probably pushed himself a little bit too far today.

"Hey, thanks," Yata says with a wide grin. Even now that he's tired and hungry and sleepy, there's a warm feeling in his chest as he looks at Saruhiko against the backdrop of the starry night sky.

"It's nothing," says Saruhiko. He's looking away, avoiding Yata's gaze. "Won't happen again."

Yata laughs. "Next time we should meet during the day! I bet your tail is even prettier then."

"... We'll see."

There's a splash and something sparkling under the moonlight and Saruhiko is once again gone from Yata's sight. The cool night breeze hits Yata in the bones and yet, strangely, the warmth in his chest doesn't disappear.

He doesn't tell Saruhiko that his eyes match the morning sky, but that's definitely something he's looking forward to seeing again.


	3. 12yo // 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first summer ends.

Yata figured out that Saruhiko swims up to the surface every night to watch the stars and that if he woke up early enough, he can get to the beach right as the sun rises and to the small island to catch Saruhiko just as he is about to return home. He thinks that Saruhiko probably lives far into the bottom of the ocean because he's always in such a hurry to leave. But everyday Yata convinces him to stay just a little while, and everyday he stays longer and longer. By the time Yata's summer vacation is about to end, Saruhiko already stays long enough to keep Yata company until his friends arrive.

At first it was difficult to get Saruhiko to talk to him so Yata just filled the silence by talking about anything he could think of. Sometimes it's about the superhero shows he watches on Sundays. Sometimes it's about a funny thing that his brother Minoru did during dinner. He also complains to Saruhiko about the pile of summer homework that he hasn't finished yet. Saruhiko would click his tongue or flap his tail to splash water at Yata, but Yata eventually realized that this didn't necessarily mean that Saruhiko was bored of his stories. It was just Saruhiko's strange, convoluted way of saying he was listening. When he's actually bored, he just leaves.

It's something that Saruhiko hasn't done in a while, so Yata thinks they're getting somewhere.

"I really enjoy spending time with you, you know," Yata tells Saruhiko one day. "It feels nice."

"We don't do anything," says Saruhiko flatly.

"Yeah, but you let me talk and you listen. That's good enough."

"What's so good about talking? And what makes you think I'm listening?"

"I dunno. I just feel you are. Anyway, talking is only nice if someone is listening."

"Whatever." Saruhiko rolls his eyes and idly flaps the end of his tail in the water.

They're sitting next to each other at the side of the small island that's facing away from the beach. Yata has his legs spread in front of him, his arms on his sides. Beside him, half of Saruhiko's tail is in the water, but it's shallow enough for all of the scales to catch the light of the sun, and Yata thinks it's one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen in his life.

Saruhiko's tail matches his eyes. The scales seem to be in all the different shades of blue, from the palest to the darkest, and everything else in between. Even the clearest of skies and bluest of seas cannot compare when sunlight hits it _just so_ and it sparkles like delicate jewelry. It probably makes Saruhiko's skin look paler, but all this— his deep blue eyes and jet black hair, skin as white as snow— is as beautiful to Yata as the first time they met.

"Hey, Saruhiko," says Yata. "D'you have brothers or sisters or something?"

"Why do you ask?" Saruhiko replies.

"I was just thinking, if you're pretty, then your siblings must be pretty too, right?"

"That's stupid."

"It's not _wrong_."

"It's wrong _and_ stupid."

"That you're pretty or that your siblings are pretty?"

"Both. We're not 'pretty'."

Yata's grin widens and he leans closer to Saruhiko. "So you _do_ have siblings!"

Saruhiko doesn't answer right away so Yata thought that was the end of the conversation. But Saruhiko idly flaps his tail again and mutters, "Nine."

"Hah?"

"Nine. They're all older."

_Nine what?_ Yata almost blurts out, but it suddenly hits him.

"Siblings?! You have nine older siblings?!"

Yata supposes it's not weird to have so many children if one is a merperson. How would he know? Anyway, it must be so noisy at their house all the time. He only has Minoru and Megumi and he's already complaining about how they cry so much. No wonder Saruhiko is always grumpy.

"Are you all boys?" Yata asks.

"No, I have a sister," says Saruhiko.

"Only one?"

"Hm."

"The rest are boys?"

"Hm."

"Wow... I'd like to meet all of them someday."

The look Saruhiko gives him in response sends shivers down Yata's spine. Saruhiko may have been always grumpy but he was never as threatening as he is now.

"You can't," Saruhiko says very seriously.

"W-Why not?" says Yata.

" _You can't_ ," Saruhiko repeats more firmly.

Yata just nods slowly and Saruhiko falls silent again. Maybe Saruhiko doesn't get along well with his siblings. Or maybe they're even less friendly than Saruhiko. Whatever the problem is, Yata thinks he'll have to wait longer until Saruhiko is comfortable enough to talk about it. Unfortunately, that time might not be this summer.

"Hey, Saruhiko?" Yata says tentatively.

"What?"

"Summer break is ending. We're going back to Shizume this weekend."

"Hm." Saruhiko still doesn't look at him.

"Do you know where Shizume is?" Yata wriggles his toes. "It's kinda far from here. So we can't meet everyday anymore."

Saruhiko doesn't answer. He only flaps the end of his tail a tiny bit more forcefully, like how Minoru stomps his feet when he's at the verge of throwing a nasty tantrum. Yata's big brother instinct kicks in.

"But, hey!" he quickly says in the hopes that it would diffuse Saruhiko's obvious bad mood. "I'll come see you next summer! We spend our summers here so I'll be here every year! I promise!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Saruhiko mutters before quickly sliding back into the waters and swimming away with a big splash.

Yata doesn't know if Saruhiko could still hear him by then, but he shouts after him as loud as he can. "Oi! I'll be waiting here tomorrow too!!"

Even though Saruhiko doesn't show up the next day or the day after that, Yata always keeps his promises so he will definitely be waiting at the same spot next summer.


	4. 13yo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yata has spent the past year looking forward to seeing Saruhiko again, but the feeling doesn't seem to be mutual...

On the summer that Yata turned thirteen, the one thing he looked forward to the most was not the new bike his stepfather promised to get him. It was great, sure, but they had to leave it in Shizume anyway so he can't use it until after summer vacation. What he was really excited about was visiting the little seaside town and waking up early in the morning to swim to the small island off shore.

He's thirteen now so he thinks he's much stronger than he was last year. He made sure to participate in all sorts of physical activities at school so that he'll always be active and exercising. Maybe it's a little too much to prepare all year just for summer break, but Yata is determined to keep his promise. He doesn't want to let Saruhiko down.

Yata was so excited to see Saruhiko again that he could barely sleep in their first night back in the town. He can't even say that he "woke up" because it felt like he was up all night anyway. He knows his parents will wake up in an hour or two to prepare breakfast, but Yata couldn't wait so he gets up and starts for the beach.

The light of the sun is starting to peek out of the horizon by the time Yata arrives at the small island. There, under the deep blue sky, face illuminated by the orange light of dawn, he sees Saruhiko sitting on a rock by the shore. Beside him is a little girl wearing a white dress and a thick fur-lined hood. Yata thinks it _is_ rather chilly out here in the morning, but fur is definitely the last thing he would bring to the beach.

The girl turns to him first and she quietly stares at him with a pair of eyes so red that they pop out against her white hair and pale face. Saruhiko wasn't as calm. His eyebrows are knitted and he is looking at Yata as if he was caught doing something bad.

"Misaki!" Saruhiko exclaims, sounding alarmed. "What are you doing here?!"

"Misaki?" the girl repeats. She tilts her head questioningly at Saruhiko.

"Nobody," Saruhiko mumbles as he grabs the girl by the wrist and jumps into the water with her. "Let's go."

" _Hey!_ " Misaki protested. "S'not fair, Saru! I've been looking forward to seeing you again all year! Don't just run away like that!"

Saruhiko starts to swim away, but the girl seems to resist. She keeps her eyes on Yata and her gaze is so powerful that Yata can't stop staring right back.

" _Let's go_ ," says Saruhiko, tugging at the girl's wrist gently but firmly.

The girl gives Yata a small nod before turning to Saruhiko. There is a huge splash as they both swim away, and Yata thinks that from a distance, the girl and her white fur-lined hood looks like a white seal pup.

 

 

 

Yata waited for Saruhiko all morning but it eventually became clear that he wouldn't be returning that day, so he reluctantly swam back to the shore and walked back home. He was very disappointed that Saruhiko didn't seem to be as happy to see him as Yata was looking forward to seeing his grumpy face again. It didn't help that he got an earful for going out before breakfast and without telling anyone. It was just not a good day overall.

But Yata is not one to give up easily. Saruhiko is probably still upset that Yata thought about meeting his siblings. He just has to apologize, right? He'll go see him again and that's the first thing he'll say before Saruhiko even hits the water.

When he swims to the small island the next day, he finds not Saruhiko but the little girl in white. Her hood is down so her fine hair is being blown gently by the wind and she's standing on the shore barefoot, her small feet resting lightly on the sand. It's then that Yata realizes she has human legs and feet, not a fish tail like Saruhiko.

She notices him quickly. There's a look in her eyes that makes Yata decide to keep a respectful distance. He's not sure if he's afraid of her, but she seems friendly enough so he stays.

"Misaki?" she asks quietly.

The way she says his name stops Yata from protesting. "...Yeah?"

"You are Saruhiko's friend." Her speech is strange like Saruhiko's, but she sounds more confident and sure with her words. Even though she's so small, Yata thinks she holds herself like an adult.

"Um... Yeah, I'd like to think so!"

The little girl smiles. "That's good."

Yata isn't sure what to say to that so he asks, "Where is he?"

"Home," she answers. "Does Misaki know we're not allowed to show ourselves to humans?"

"... Not really," says Yata. "Saru never said anything."

Yata figured there must be some rule that went like that. It's always the case in fairy tales and movies, right? But Saruhiko never told him, and Saruhiko always came, so it must not have been a problem. That might explain why Saruhiko got mad that Yata wanted to meet his siblings, though. Was Saruhiko sneaking out all that time and he just got caught now? Did he get in trouble because of Yata?

"Don't worry, I won't tell," the girl says. The light of the sunrise makes it look like there is fire in her eyes. If Yata still had any doubts that she wasn't human, all of them are gone now. "Just promise you will not hurt Saruhiko."

"Promise!" Yata says with such energy that seems to surprise the girl. "I won't tell anyone about Saruhiko and you too!"

"Thank you."

Yata fidgets on his spot. Staying in one place for long isn't exactly among the things he's good at. "So... I guess you aren't his sister, huh?"

The girl seems to think about it for a bit. "Maybe we are something like that."

"He said he has a sister, but that all of his siblings are older than him."

The girl blinks at Yata and realization hits him like a giant wave.

"... He wasn't allowed to tell me that, huh?"

She seems amused, though. Her smile is so soft and gentle like her small voice that if it wasn't for the fierceness of her big round eyes, Yata would not think there was more to this little girl than it looks like. The way she stood there on the shore, quiet waves and seafoam crawling at her feet, makes Yata think of princesses and fairy godmothers in faraway magical lands.

"Saruhiko was not supposed to give Misaki his name either," she says.

"Oh! Is that it?" says Yata. "I thought he was just embarrassed! Thought it was weird 'coz his name isn't embarrassing at all. Not like mine, anyway."

The girl looks at him curiously. "I think Misaki is a beautiful name."

"For a girl, maybe! But I'm a boy!"

"You don't like it?"

"No!" Yata answers a little too forcefully. He immediately regrets it when the girl frowns worriedly.

"Should I call you something else, then?" she asks.

Yata hums in thought. "I guess I don't mind it as much from you... I mean... No one else will hear anyway."

The girl nods. "My name is Anna."

"Nice to meet ya, Anna!" says Yata. "Wait— you aren't supposed to give me your name, right?"

"I trust that Misaki will not let Saruhiko down," Anna says. She puts her hood up and begins to walk into the waters. "So I also trust Misaki with my name."

As Yata watches Anna walk further into the waters, he finds himself rooted on his spot on the sand. He feels like he is bearing witness to something mystical even though he can't put a finger on what it is exactly.

Anna turns to him slightly and says, "I hope to see Misaki again."

"Yeah, I'd like to see you again too, Anna!" he replies cheerfully.

Anna waves goodbye before swimming away. This time Yata is watching closely enough that he's pretty sure she just turned into a white seal pup right in front of his eyes.

 

 

 

The next day Yata finds Saruhiko alone on a rock by the shore of the small island. Saruhiko isn't glaring at him and he doesn't look like he's moving any time soon, but Yata greets him with an apology anyway.

"I'm sorry," says Yata. "I didn't know you aren't supposed to talk to humans. I shouldn't've asked about your brothers and sister."'

"Of course you wouldn't know," Saruhiko says. "I didn't tell you. It's not something you should apologize for."

"But you were upset. When I saw you and Anna. And last summer—"

" _That's_ what you thought I was upset about?" Saruhiko shakes his head but there's an amused little smile on his face. "You really are an idiot."

"You keep waiting for me here anyway." Yata grins.

Saruhiko clicks his tongue. "I told Anna it's dangerous to come here alone... Anyway, I wasn't waiting for you."

"Sure, whatever you say!"

Yata climbs the rock that Saruhiko is perched on and sits beside him. Together they watch the sun rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe someday I'll be able to come up with proper chapter titles....

**Author's Note:**

> I had a sudden burst of writing inspiration, one that I haven't had in a while and will probably not have more of any time soon so I don't know if I'll ever write more of this AU. I'll continue to draw for it though, so if you follow me on Twitter, I'm sorry in advance.
> 
> Not that anyone cares, but the beach in this story was inspired by a place I've been to with my friends. The little island off shore was nothing more than a glorified rock that can be reached by foot during low tide. It was a really cool place, though you had to be careful not to get swept away into the Pacific Ocean by the really strong waves. Fun times.


End file.
